Over the past several years there has been great attention focused on health care practitioners and their hand washing – or lack there of. Recently, one institution has gone so far as to install cameras in their ICU and in real time monitor handwashing behavior. A little extreme but, I guess, if the staff is [...]
Browsing Posts in Immunodeficiency
I came across this article (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/in-medicine-falling-for-fake-innovation/?ref=health ) written by one of the faculty at UPenn. In this article he discusses how a new technology, the daVinci Surgical Robot system, while an innovative and cutting edge technology, has increased heatlhcare costs but does not seem to have a corresponding significant improvement in patient care or reduction [...]
I was at a meeting the other day and was listening to a report about the performance of a hospital. All these metrics were being measured and we, the physicians, were being told about how good we were doing meeting the various metrics but there was still work to do. Now, one would [...]
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) is a congenital immunodeficiency that if not detected in the first few days of life invariable is fatal. Fortunately this is a very rare disease BUT for those with SCID that is not detected the consequences are devastating. Fortunately over the past several year new technology has emerged that allows the [...]
The other day a physician colleague of mine asked me a question about a patient. The patient, who had already been seen by another Allergist, was referred to another physician ( “the consultant”) for evaluation. The consultant was in the same healthcare system as my colleague but the Allergist was not. In evaluating the patient [...]
Over the past few months, there have been hearing increased conversations about the high cost of copays for office visits. It is not unusual to see co pays for office visits to be in the $40 – $50 range. This is certainly having an impact on patients seeking care. Patients are clearly not heeding the [...]
I never thought I would hear a patients tell me that they are to the point of deciding whether to buy gas for their car or buy their medications. Wow! I didn’t really know what to say. Gas is or was $4/ gallon and in the course of a week it may cost $60 to fill up a [...]
I was speaking with a colleague in Tennessee today and he made me aware of an individual who was just indicted by the FBI for health care fraud. Apparently this individual, who I am not even sure was a physician, was offering allergy care through primary care doctor’s offices. Apparently this individual would provide allergy [...]
So now that Allegra, and several other antihistamines, have been moved over the counter (OTC), a patient asked me the other day “why should I continue to see you?” That was a good question and is really asking what role Allergists play in the management of patients with allergies. First I think it is important [...]
Over the past several weeks it has come to my attention that Highmark BCBS in Pennsylvania would be changing their formulary for replacement IgG therapy for patients with primary immunodeficiency (PIDD). Effective April 1, 2011 Highmark was going to require all patients with PIDD be switched to their preferred IgG replacement therapy. This obviously could [...]
